Spider and Varicose Veins
Millions of women and many men suffer from spider or varicose veins. Spider veins are small unsightly red or purple vessels on the surface of the thighs or calves. Varicose veins are large ropy blue vessels that often bulge off the surface of the skin and sometimes cause an aching or burning sensation. These can remain merely a cosmetic problem or can progress to cause leg discoloration, swelling and ulceration or predispose to blood clots (deep venous thrombosis).
What causes Spider Veins and Varicose Veins?
The causes of spider and varicose veins include heredity, pregnancy, and standing for long periods of time. Other factors that can predispose one to varicose veins include obesity and prior leg injuries. Women tend to be affected by varicose and spider veins 2-4 time more commonly than men do, due to the fact that female hormones and pregnancies are so commonly implicated in their cause. Even though a predisposed woman's varicose veins will get significantly worse during pregnancy (due to hormonal influences and increased blood volume), they will sometimes recede again in the 6 months after delivery.
Veins have valves that close when we stand which prevents blood from rushing backward due to the force of gravity. If these valves fail completely or partially (valvular incompetence), the vessels swell. The body will sometimes create new veins to cope with the increased pressure. Sometimes people just have genetically weak veins walls, ultimately causing varicose veins.
What is Spider Veins and Varicose Veins?
Millions of women and many men suffer from spider or varicose veins. Spider veins are small unsightly red or purple vessels on the surface of the thighs or calves. Varicose veins are large ropy blue vessels that often bulge off the surface of the skin and sometimes cause an aching or burning sensation. These can remain merely a cosmetic problem or can progress to cause leg discoloration, swelling and ulceration or predispose to blood clots (deep venous thrombosis).
Are there different types of Spider Veins and Varicose Veins?
Spider veins are red or blue vessels that are less than 2 mm. vessels. Reticular veins are non-elevated blue vessels that are 2-4 mm in diameter. Varicose veins are usually greater than 3 mm in diameter and are often elevated above the surface of the skin. Different therapies may be associated with different sized veins.
How can I treat Spider Veins and Varicose Veins?
There are many different types of treatments for spider veins. Simple therapy aimed at modest improvement and/or prevention includes wearing support hose and/or using topical therapy such as Cellex-C Spider Vein Complex.
More invasive therapies include, sclerotherapy, laser surgery, surgical vein removal (ambulatory phlebectomy) and venous closure, a laser or radiofrequency treatment to fix abnormal valves. Yes and no. A comprehensive treatment with sclerotherapy and/or laser can reduce the appearance of spider veins for many years. However, the original factors that caused them in the first place, (heredity, pregnancy/estrogen, excessive weight, standing for long periods) may not go away and new veins may be created. Also, the treatment of spider veins needs to include treatment of the feeder veins in order to achieve a long term effect.Yes and no. A comprehensive treatment with sclerotherapy and/or laser can reduce the appearance of spider veins for many years. However, the original factors that caused them in the first place, (heredity, pregnancy/estrogen, excessive weight, standing for long periods) may not go away and new veins may be created. Also, the treatment of spider veins needs to include treatment of the feeder veins in order to achieve a long term effect.
Medical grade support hose improves venous blood flow by narrowing the oversized channel. This is a time honored non-invasive method of improving venous circulation in the legs.
Sclerotherapy consists of injections into veins of a solution which injures the blood vessel wall. The body reabsorbs the vein during the healing process. Laser treatment of leg veins has only recently become a viable alternative. Newer lasers, employing a long wavelength technology, are able to shine a beam of light through the skin and heat up the target blood vessel enough to damage the vessel walls yet not damage the surrounding tissue. The lasers which work the best are long pulsed neodymium yag lasers (wavelength of 1064). This can be used instead of or along with sclerotherapy. Surgical removal, traditionally called stripping, aims to remove the abnormal vessel. A newer technique called ambulatory phlebectomy allows surgeons to remove veins under local anesthetic with small hooks via tiny incisions in the legs. A new procedure, approved by the FDA in March, 1999 used for treatment of an abnormality in the main valve in the upper leg (saphenofemoral junction incompetence), a common problem causing varicose veins, especially on the inner thigh, calf and ankle. A catheter is threaded into the vein and a laser or radiofrequency device fixes the valve under ultrasound guidance.
Is Spider Veins and Varicose Veins curable?
Yes and no. A comprehensive treatment with sclerotherapy and/or laser can reduce the appearance of spider veins for many years. However, the original factors that caused them in the first place, (heredity, pregnancy/estrogen, excessive weight, standing for long periods) may not go away and new veins may be created. Also, the treatment of spider veins needs to include treatment of the feeder veins in order to achieve a long term effect.
What does Spider Veins and Varicose Veins look like?
They are small blue or red “spidery” lines on the legs. If you look closely they are dispersed in the leg likes branches on a tree. If you think of the trunk of a tree being the vein deep inside that cannot be seen on the surface, the big blue veins are like big branches on a tree and the smaller blue and red vessels are like the small branches with leaves.
How can I find out more?
http://www.phlebology.org/ (American College of Phlebology
http://www.asds-net.org/ (American Society of Dermatologic Surgery)
http://www.aslms.org/ (American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery)
